No Tech Strategy Can Mean Big Problems For Your New Software Project

Has your company just invested in a new software product? Did you purchase a new software tool in hopes that missed revenue would be captured? Perhaps you were hoping for process improvement in your everyday operations to help address productivity issues. Regardless of the reason, starting a company-changing technology project too fast can have long-lasting effects on your bottom line, your customer base, and your employees. More specifically, if you haven’t clearly defined the tech strategy for this new roll-out, this software project is destined to fail.

What is a Tech Strategy?

A tech strategy is a company or organization’s plan for the goals and outcomes it wants from the newly purchased software system. Tech strategies differ from organization to organization and one size does not fit all. For example, a retail store or manufacturing company’s employees and customers may not be comfortable with change or with new technology. In that case, the tech strategy must address how the users will react and learn and understand the uses of the tool.

On the other hand, a tech start-up might have different motivations for the software. A new tech company’s strategy might include a statement like “Create software that’s always ‘changing the game’ so our innovations make it hard for others to compete with us.” Both examples are ‘right’, but they might cause a bunch of problems if applied to the other company. In the end, a company’s tech strategy should articulate both their business goals and objectives and foreseen business practices.

So What?

A tech strategy is crucial for software planning, development, and implementation because it serves as the ultimate point of reference. Every technical choice should tie directly back to it. Stakeholders should be constantly asking themselves, “Will this decision advance our overall technology goals?” If the answer is “no”, then they should move on. But if the question can’t be answered at all, decision-makers will find it difficult to act.

More specifically, the lack of a clear technical strategy has 3 major impacts on an organization:

Everything Slows Down

When a team has no strategy for guidance, how can they possibly be expected to choose a direction? The speed of decision-making grinds to a halt.

Feedback Becomes Overwhelming

When a software product starts getting real world usage, feedback is inevitable. In some cases, it can be overwhelming. Prioritizing what should and should not be addressed (and in what order) is critical. Without a clearly defined strategy, your team has no way of successfully responding to user requests.

You Risk Doing Less With More

Software that is streamlined and intuitive benefits everyone who uses it, but building a successful software structure is difficult. The product’s goals have to be kept top-of-mind.

If your company needs help developing a tech strategy, get in touch to see if NVP is a solution to you current software challenges.